Esoteric P02X, D02X (and C02X), any direct listening impressions are appreciated....

Anyone?

Justubes2: Thank you....I know the feeling; when I hear my P-02/D-02 I don't pick out things that are lacking per se. I think it is definitely the 'audiophile gene' kicking in at the prospect of stepping up to 'an even better solution'.   I've been told that the P-02X/D-02X still has an edge over the K-01X due to the separation of boxes/functions, extra power supplies, etc...and all the usual things and further that the new Grandioso K1 will come close but the only way to get a big jump from P-02X/D-02X is to go to the 4-box Grandioso system (not counting clock which would make 5!)...

I am sure there is a similar talk track to extol the virtues of the K-01X or Grandioso K1, such is the nature of our hobby/the industry.

When the P-02X/D-02X and K-01X in particular came out, 2 things came to mind;

- AKM specifically talks about a much smoother presentation (think the word 'velvet' is utilized) than even the radically upgraded DAC that is present in the P/D 02 and K-01 "non-X" units....that grabbed my attention as what is the the non-X units already kicks ass :-)

- in the progression from P-03U/D-03 and the requisite increase in capabilities of the new AKM DACs in the P/D 02 and K-01 non-X units, AND (in the case of the P-02/D-02 in particular the introduction of "dual-AES ES-LINK3" as a new capability over dual-AES ES-LINK2), and the advent of 35-bit processing for both P/D and K units, there was a huge uplift in my system's ability to preservice detail, have drastically enhanced imaging AND now much better musical levels of playback, more natural notes, voices, etc.., due I am convinced, to the introduction of the new DACs and greater overall effective bit depth,...the miracle of this (at least to me) is that all these categories improved within the P/D units losing 2 things in particular (or anything else) Esoteric is known for, namely "pits of hell" bass reach/extent and a seemingly limitless top ed all at the same time....

Esoteric is claiming (and those that have heard the "X" units and Grandioso units state emphatically) that the advent of the newest AKM DACs and move to dual-HDMI conduits over ES-LINK4 (for separates) together with the advent of 36-bit processing (for P/D and K-01 "X" units and Grandioso of course) that they have achieved the closest and smoothest curve-fit of an analog wave from the digital wave....

Being a good audio-nut, such statements get the "have to have..." thoughts flowing as we all know.  I do wonder "what's next" from AKM, etc....is this going to plateau for a while like it did from the 03 generation to the 02 (quite a few years in between) or will we see AKM put out the next-greatest/best DAC upgrade and Esoteric/others to follow with new players and separates based upon the "AKMXXXX" DAC in only 1-2 years starting this torturous cycle all over again :-)

The relentless pursuit (and neurosis) continues :-) 

Thanks for that detail-packed reply; we definitely understand each other and face the same audio 'demons' when it comes to upgrading, improving system, etc... :-)

I am extremely happy with ES-LINK3 over dual-AES/EBU (XLR 110-ohm) cables given the synergy in my system that has been very stable since the 03 separates days using Kubala-Sosna ELATION AES/XLR cables, Emotion 75-ohm and 50-ohm clock cables, and Elrod Statement Gold Power Cords as well as XLR interconnects. I have a degree of musically "right and believable" happening that I did not think I would ever obtain so I'm eager to better it but very nervous about "mucking it up" to say the least.

The "X" versions of the 02 (and the corresponding ES-LINK4 protocol) intrigue me as, if Esoteric track record is any indication, whenever they step up in this protocol and with a new AKM DAC, things have proven to get better. Theoretically, going from 35-bit to 36 bit and moving past the limitation of AES/EBU in terms of bandwidth to dual-HDMI where Esoteric has confirmed in writing (via email thru their US leads) that they are using the HDMI cable for all the extra conductors it allows without bringing the unsavory aspects of the video parts of the HDMI protocol, and simply using "the wire" for all the extra bandwidth and further separation of function of a great number of individual pins over what AES/EBU can provide.

The other thing the "X" versions of the 02 add which I might want in the future (for an N-01 or other streaming device or server, whether I build it myself or buy a bespoke "SOTA" music server" is the move from at most 24/192 async (the 02 generation) to full USB-carried native DSD, DSDx2 up to DSDx4 streaming that the "X" version of the D-02 provides.

Lots of variables in the equation and I don't want to miss out on any leaps in performance or playback but more importantly, don't want to lose any musical aspects of what the current system achieves today.

Thanks for all the detail and the thoughts!

Thank you for the feedback and great advice; it's been great to hear someone else going through the same things and grappling with the same questions and goals!  I am going to think alot more about whether this upgrade is worth it or rather should be put aside in favor of just listening and enjoying what I already have and (if any upgrade is ever possible or necessary) planning to go to the Grandioso level of componentry. Have a great week!!

Good Morning Guys!

Cdrc: I did see that review last week and have used the Varidig Sextet in the past; it is a fine digital cable. I wonder about the rationale behind the tuning collar and how magnetic force corrections are relevant to a digital signal, all 1s and 0s in a correct digital cable; I will have to read up a bit more on this in the days to come. Thanks for the recommendations!

Ptss: Thank you! For many years I have been a power conditioner fan and have used Monster, Richard Gray, Shunyata, Equitech, ExactPower, Furman and Bybee.  As of today, I do have the following for power conditioning/power-correction/grounding as the Isotek gear is the best I've ever heard for my setup;

- whole-house dual grounding rod system with CADWELD bonding (thank you Cdrc!)
- plated copper bus-bar main and sub panels
- Environmental Potentials EP-2050 Waveform and EMI/RFI removal on main panel
- Environmental Potential EP-2750 Ground Filters on sub-panel
- Granite Audio Ground Zero star-grounding system
- Isotek EVO3 TITAN
- IsoTek EVO3 SIGMAS tethered directly into TITAN using Neutrik Powercon
Note: the tethering of the SIGMAS into the TITAN results in uniform ground plane for all devices as I have one power conditioner tailor-made for high-current devices (TITAN) and the other built for all other components (SIGMAS) and this allows them appear as one for purposes of ground plane, etc...

Thank you...I will check them out.  What do you feel the new Stealth give you that the ELATION Digital cables and others do not?

Thank you for the great and detailed description! May have to give them a try!

Good Day...great new and prior pics on the Stealth House website; congratulations on becoming a dealer!  That explains why you moved away from all of your KS cables...

With respect to the Stealth Varidig Sextet V.16 cables, I wonder from the website
http://www.stealthaudiocables.com/products/Sextet/index.html
what is the current version of this cable? The photos look different and in one case look like someone took an older Varidig Sextet, cut the connectors off and put on some new V.16 connectors with current labels while another looks like a flashy new outer tech-braid. etc...
The BNC version looks different as well so I'm wondering what the current version of the cable looks like and what are its capabilities.  Is the tuning collar magnetic in nature (I'm guessing it is); if so, why bring a magnet near a square or sine-wave (depending upon whether it is in use for 110-ohm, 75-ohm or 50-ohm (sine wave) signals....)? Very curious about the thought process behind this advancement and how it works...

On the subject of the power cords, I just checked out the website; they seem to be Helium filled, very beautiful and substantial looking. As the site points out they have a Helium dielectric and Helium is 15 times less in molecular weight than air which also means it can pass through membranes that much easier and faster.  What lifetime warranty is provided to ensure the cables retain 100% of their Helium dielectric, i.e. what containment membrane is utilized to keep the Helium in place particularly given the fact that we put cables in our systems and do bend them/place them differently than they arrive from the vendor in their packaging. The new Stealth power cords look very rigid and shaped; how do they hold up to normal use and time and what warranty is in place to ensure the cable holds it Helium fill for life?

On a side note, I'd like to have feedback from others on my original question regarding anyone's feedback who has picked up the Esoteric P-02X and D-02X.

Understood....thank you.  Looking forward to hearing what you get back from the engineers on those questions!

Thank you!